Cap-feeding mechanism.



C. MAcDONALD.

CAP FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION man JAN.29, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

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C. MACDONALD.

CAP FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-29. 1915.

1 ,206,236. Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT onrioa,

CHARLES MACDONALD, OF WOLLASTON, -MASSAGHUSETTS, ASSIGN'OR TO TUBULAR RIVET 8a STUD COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

CAP-FEEDING MECHANISM.

Patented Nov. 28,1916.

Application filed January 29, 1915. Serial No. 5,103.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES MACDONALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wollaston, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gap- Feeding Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to cap feeding mechanism and more particularly to the cap receiving hoppers which are employed in connection with this feeding mechanism.

The object of the present invention is to provide a cap receiving hopper which arranges and sorts the caps in an improved manner and delivers them to the feed chute in a predetermined manner without liability of the caps catching or clogging in the chute.

'With this object in view the several features of the invention consist in certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimedfthe advantages of which will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the following description.-

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention; Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a rivet and cap setting machine embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a detail representing an end elevation of the rotary cap receiving hopper; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the hopper taken upon the line 3'3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a cross section of the hopper taken upon the line M of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a partial section in elevation of the hopper taken uponthe line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and Fig. (3 is a detail illustrating one of the cap engaging members which are supported in the surface of the hopper.

' The machine embodying the present invention is employed for setting rivets in various kinds of work and comprises a r1vet setting lever 2' fulcrumed upon the machine frame? at .4 andoperated in the usual manner from the driving shaft 5 through a crank and adjustable connectingrod 6. The rivet setting lever actuates a sliding plunger 7 and the rivets are positioned in alinement with the plunger'by the usual typeof positioning head or tube 8 which is supplied aut me e y w th rivets y a feeding chute indicated at 9. The feeding chute is connected with a hopper 10 supported upon the upper portion of the machine frame and provided with agitating mechanism 11 operating from the setting lever. As the present construction is well known in the art and forms no part specifically of the present invention it has been only briefly described herein.

It will be observed that each cap consists of a thin disk having an annular inturned flange which forms what may be conveniently referred to as the open face of the cap. In the present invention improved mechanism is provided for feeding the caps automatically to the setting mechanism and it is essential that this mechanism shall feed each cap to the setting anvil with the open face arranged to receive the end of a rivet. To. this end a rotary cap receiving hopper is provided with improved sorting and arranging mechanism which picks up the caps separately from an indiscriminate mass and delivers them to the feed chute with the open faces of the caps facing in the same direction. In the illustrated embodimentof the invention the hopper is provided with a series of hooks which engage with the flanged edges of'the caps and deliver them to the surface of a stationary transfer member which guides them to the feed chute inan upright posi tion and with all of the caps facing in the same direction. The hopper is indicated at 15 and is supported upon abraoket 16 secured to the machine frame above the setting anvil in order that the caps may be fed to the setting device by gravity. The rotary hopper is journaled upon a stationary stud 18 secured in the bracket and having stationary bearing plates 19 and 20 which'rotatably support the shell 22 of the hopper. As 'shown'clearly in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, the hopper is frusto-conical in 7 gages with a belt receiving groove 30 formed in the shell of the hopper. The cap sorting and arranging mechanism comprises means projecting within the shell for picking up the caps separately and a stationary transfer member inside of the hopper having a cap guiding surface which receives the caps and delivers them to the feed chute in an upright position with the open faces of the caps all facing in the same direction.

The mechanism for picking the caps and delivering them to the transfer member consists of a series of hooks 31 projecting within the surface of the shell and arranged to engage with the flanged edge of the cap, as shown clearly in Fig. 4. As the hopper rotates the cap is elevated until it contacts with a guiding surface 32 formed upon a stationary cap arranging member 34: which is secured to the stud 18, as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4:. In order to conveniently construct and assemble the cap engaging hooks in the shell of the hopper a series of U- shaped members 35 are provided with legs having hooked ends so constructed that the two legs are arranged to project through adjacent perforations in the shell, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. After the various members have been assembled in position with the hooks projecting through the shell 22 they are secured by a tapered retaining collar 37 which fits tightly to the shell and is secured in place by one or more set screws 38. With this construction, as the caps are elevated by the hooks they are delivered to the curved guiding surface 32 which is substantially concentric with the interior of the shell and in close proximity thereto and are moved across the guiding surface with the flanged side upward until the action of gravity causes the cap to become disengaged from the hook and drop upon an inclined receiving surface from which they move down by gravity into a cap alining slot 39 formed in the guide member, as shown clearly in Fig. 4. A curved guiding plate 40 insures that the cap is deflected into the slot in an upright position after it has become disengaged from the elevating hook. The slot 39 in the transfer member slopes downwardly, as shown clearly in Fig. 5 and communicates with the upper portion 41 of the feed chute. WVith this construction the caps are delivered separately to the feed chute in an upright position and with theopen faces all facing in the same direction. .The caps are conveniently supplied to the hopper as desired,

through a receiving mouth 43 formed in the bearing plate 20 and communicating with the hopper through a recess 44 formed in the end face of the guide member. The caps are fed in an upright position down the inclined portion 41 0f the feed chute which communicates with a vertical chute 46 pro-' at vid l" W th a separating mechanism indie cated at 47. From the separator mechanism the caps are fed separately down an inclined chute 48 to a setting anvil indicated at 50 upon which they are positioned with the open end upward to receive the end of the rivet.

While it is preferred to employ the specific construction and arrangement of parts shown and described, it will be understood that this construction and arrangement are not essential except so far as specified in the claims, and may be changed or modified without departing from the broader features of the invention. 7

The invention having been described, what is claimed is 1 1. A cap feeding mechanism comprising a rotary hopper, a stationary member inside of the hopper having a cap guiding surface and a cap alining slot formed therein'to aline the caps edge, to edge with their peripheries in the same plane, means for depositing a cap upon the guiding surface with the open face upward, and a feed chute for delivering caps to a setting mechanism.

2. A cap feeding mechanism comprising rotary hopper, a plurality of hooks proecting within the hopper and arranged to engage the flange of a disk-shaped cap, a stationary arranging member for receiving the caps from the hooks, and alining them edge to edge with their peripheries in the same plane, a feed chute, and connections between the arranging member and feed chute.

3. A cap feeding mechanism comprising a hopper having a perforated shell, a plurality of U-shaped members having hooked ends projecting through the perforations in the shell, and a sleeve surrounding the outside of the shell to secure the U-shaped members in place. v

4. A cap feeding mechanism comprising a hopper, a plurality of inwardly projecting hooks supported by the hopper, an arranging member having a curved guiding surface and a cap receiving slot, a guide plate on said member for diverting the "caps into the slot, and a chute communicating with the slot to feed the caps to asetting mechanism, and means to move the hooks to pick up the caps. V

5. A cap feeding mechanism comprising a rotary hopper, means constructed and arranged to pick up disk-shaped caps by holding them freely suspended by a flange, a feed chute for receiving the caps, and means for guiding the caps from the picking-up means to the feed chute with their peripheries in the sameplane.

6. A machine for feeding flanged diskshaped caps comprising a hopper, a hook within the hopper constructed and arranged feed chute, an arranging member to engage the caps before they are released from the hooks to position them to be delivered to the feed chute with their open faces similarly di rected, and means for moving the hook to carry the caps.

7. A machine for feeding flanged diskshaped caps comprising a hopper, a hook within the hopper for picking up the caps by engagement with the flange and carrying them with their open faces similarly directed, an arranging means having a slot to receive the caps from the hook and aline them edge to edge with their peripheries in the same plane, and means to move the hook to deliver caps from the hopper to the arranging means.

8. A machine for feeding flanged openfaced disks comprising a rotary hopper, means movable with the hopper for picking up and freely suspending caps by the flange, an arranging member having a positioning surface to engage the lower end of the cap, hold the cap in engagement with the hook and cause the lower end to be raised, a gravity-feeding receiving surface upon which the caps are released from the picking'up means, and a gravity feeding alining slot in which the caps are arranged in a uniform order and delivered to a feed chute. 9. A cap feeding mechanism comprising a hopper, a plurality of hooks distributed across the greater part of the inner surface of the hopper for picking up caps with their open faces similarly directed, an arranging member within the hopper having a cap guiding surface to arrange the caps in a definite order, a cap receiving surface to receive the caps when dropped from the hooks, an alining slot for arranging the caps and delivering them to a feed chute, and means for actuating the hooks.

10. A cap feeding mechanism comprising a hopper for holding caps, a cap elevating means in the hopper, an arranging member for the caps provided with a guiding surface substantially concentric with the hopper for positioning the caps, with an inclined surface on which the caps are disengaged from the elevating means, and with an alining slot to arrange the caps with their peripheries in the same plane and deliver them to a feed chute, and mechanism for actuating the elevating means.

11. A cap feeding mechanism comprising a hopper for caps, a hook within the hopper movable in a closed path for picking up and freely suspending caps, and an arranging member having a guiding-plate mounted in close proximity to the path of movement of the hook for engaging and causing the caps to be swung upon the hook to arrange the caps for disengagement from the hook, a cap receiving surface on said member continuing from the guiding plate, said member having a slot to feed caps similarly arranged to a feed chute.

12. A cap feeding mechanism comprising a cap hopper, a feed chute leading from the hopper, a plurality of hooks arranged approximately across the inner surface of the hopper, an arranging member within the hopper having a cap arranging surfaceextending approximately across the hopper, and means for moving the hooks to deliver caps from the hopper to the arranging member.

13. A feeding mechanism for flanged diskshaped caps comprising a hopper, a hook projecting within the inner face of the hopper and approximately at right angles thereto, said hook being constructed and arranged to pick up caps by the flange and hold them freely suspended, a feed chute for conducting caps to a setting mechanism, means for delivering caps from the hook to the feed chute, and means for moving the hook.

CHARLES MACDONALD.

Witnesses:

CHAS. W. TABER, LAWRENCE E. NEWCOMB.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

